Mew Nectarine
Mew Nectarine (ミユウ　ネクタリン, Myuu Nekutarin), or Neku (ネク) is a Mew Mew working for Ryou Shirogane at Cafe Mew Mew in Tokyo, under the guise of a foreign exchange student in Japan. Unknown to the others (especially Ryou) is the fact that she is the remaining member of a (failed) mew project based out of Los Angeles. : Neku is played by phenolic on Tegaki-E. Name Neku's full legal name is Momo Tsubakii-Titian (椿井 ティツィアーノ 桃, Tsubakii-Teishiian Momo), Momo (桃, can be spelled もも) meaning "peach", Tsubakii (椿井) meaning "camellia well". She adds her divorced father's surname Titian to her own, though technically she is registered only under her mother's name. The surname "Titian" is taken from the color, named after the master painter famous for his use of auburn and gold tones. Neku dislikes her name immensely and tells everyone to just call her "Neku". Her nickname "Neku" is actually a pun on her Japanese name. Tsubakii Momo sounds like tsubaimomo or 椿桃, the japanese word for nectarine. Her father gave the nickname to her. Appearance Human Form As a human, Neku has brown eyes (raw umber), and light brown hair (like the color of coffee-milk), which she almost always wears up, usually in a pony on her right side, with bangs/long side pieces that frame her face. Lately she has growing her hair out. Her skin is fair and rather rosy. She burns very easily in full sun. She can usually be found wearing very simple casual clothing, like a t-shirt and cropped pants. She tends to gravitate toward clothing that has a boyish/sporty look - hoodies, cargos, graphic tees, rugby stripes. Neku thinks both jewelry and make-up are "constricting", and rarely accessorizes. Excess frills and bows are considered childish and stupid. In fact, she doesn't even like to wear skirts that often; the fact that her school uniform, cafe uniform, and mew-mew outfit all have pleated skirts is starting to annoy her. Mew Form In Mew form, Neku's eyes are carmine red, and her hair becomes orange and curly. She wears it in pigtails with poofy scrunchies, with the framing side pieces becoming thicker and the ends curled into large loose spirals. Her outfit consists of arm-puffs, leg garter and a zip-up bodice in amber,without any trim. The neck-band looks like an amber-colored choker attached to a white sailor collar. The skirt is white, and made of a lighter material. She wears amber-colored loafers, but they are mostly obscured by her baggy white socks. Her mew pendant is silver and she has large transparent red bangles on each wrist. Neku's mew outfit was designed with a schoolgirl theme in mind. Abilities Mew Weapon Weapon - Nectarine Gong (ネクタリン・ゴング, Nekutarin Gongu ) Attack - Ribbon Nectar-Ringing ( リボーン・ネクタ-リンギング, Riboun Nekutaringingu ) Warning: I am considering a re-vamp for her weapon, it needs to simplified. So this info may be subject to change. Neku's weapon, the Nectarine Gong, is based off of the instrument known as a rin gong (also called a suzu, singing bowl, etc). The heavy metal bowl rests on a cushion, and the sound is produced by rubbing the rim with the mallet. With the Nectarine Gong, the bowl is quite shallow, more like a pan. The cushion is heart-shaped and rather stiff, it encircles the pan and serves more as a "stand" than as a cushion. The pan sinks into the cushion, making the two seem more like a single piece than two separate objects. The mallet is attached to the pan/cushion by a flexible string, which Neku can manipulate the length of with "shojo magic". This string makes instrument more reminiscent of more traditional suspended gongs. Neku can use the Nectarine Gong in two ways. When the string is short, she can wield it in a manner similar to a flail. This uses force to cause blunt trauma and is rather harsh. The second option is to lengthen the string using the Ribbon Nectar-Ringing. Then, using motions similar to rhythmic gymnastics, the string can be used to restrain/encircle the enemy, tie them up, strangle them, etc. The Nectarine Gong can also be used as a whip in this mode, the heavy pan at the end of the string packing a very painful hit. The pun in the name of Neku's weapon comes from comparing her attack name to her weapon's name. The weapon ネクタリン・ゴング or "ne-ku-ta-ri-n・ go-n-gu" sounds very similar to the attack リボーン・ネクタ-リンギング or "Riboun・ne-ku-ta・ri-n-gi-n-gu", with only a syllables difference. Sense of Smell With her Red Data DNA, Neku's sense of smell was greatly enhanced. It's probably as-good-as or better than a dog's. Though it makes identifying/finding things easier, it is not really a skill used in battle. Mostly it makes Neku more aware of food in a certain area. This isn't always a good thing, as her pig snout tends to pop out at these times. Fighting Abilities Physically Neku has a lot of power/raw strength, mostly due to her solid, hearty build. She can take hits quite well, too. On the other hand she's slow and has sub-par endurance - this is due to the fact that pigs can't sweat, and usually must find alternative means of cooling off. If a fight lasts a long time and Neku over-exerts and becomes overheated, she will almost always pass out and lose. Neku + high temps = BAD. Neku's fighting abilities are initially geared toward support/defensive manuevers. That said, she is capable of high powered offensive attacks, if she focuses on using her ridiculous strength. In this case, she will strike first and HARD, going for a knockout. Yeah, when she fights offensively she doesn't pull punches. Personality In my mind, the key word associated with Neku is optimism. She is almost always cheerful, upbeat. She is also rather easy going, kind, sympathetic and good with people (most of the time). One of her key features is her extreme emotionability - her mood tends to grow and shift depending on her environment and its surrounding people. I don't know if this trait would be called passion or just bi-polarism, but... Over-dramatic? Very much so. Other traits - ridiculously oblivious, to the point of being stupid. Honest and direct to the point of being blunt. The japanese people she associates with probably think she is the most typical (American) foreigner they have ever met. She probably comes off as ditz to casual observers. She is capable of great determination and is fairly responsible though - this probably is shown best in her work performance. She has had a part time job since she was 14, and is something of a workaholic when on the clock. If only she worked as hard at school. Neku also has a maternal/caretaker side, but she really only acts this way with her brother, father and Shroom (and Tii to a lesser extent), who are all back in the states, so it really hasn't been seen much in canon. Relationships Family Lee Titian - father :Born and currently lives in Georgia. Neku lived with (and took care of) him from age 10 to 14. He's a property manager for a large real estate office. Divorced and has been in a relationship for the past 3 years. Touji Tsubakii (椿井 桃二, Tsubakii Touji) - brother :13 years old. Born in Tokyo like Neku, but subsequently moved to the US. From this age to age 6, Neku was constantly by his side. At that time, their parents were fighting, and ultimetly getting divorced. It could be said that Neku raised her brother during this hard time. His earliest memories are of his sister. He now lives in LA with his mother and stepfamily. Energetic, temperamental, a typical 13 year old boy. Occasionally, he shows bursts of very sensible insight, but...he's still a kid. Loves video games. Has to put up with Neku's overprotective smothering and constant nagging. It has developed his emotional maturity, while at the same time, frayed his temper. Rika Tsubakii (椿井 李花, Tsubakii Rika) - mother :Born in Japan, divorced and remarried, currently living in LA with her 2nd husband and their children. She is a designer of wedding and prom gowns. Owns her own brand and store, the business has been slowly growing for the past 5 years. Neku likes to insist that she is nothing like her mother. Rika loves Neku, but thinks it's unfortunate that Neku adopts so much of her behavior from her ex-husband. She hopes the way Neku acts is just a phase. Those who know both roll their eyes, because Neku inherits alot from her mother, including her cheerfulness, obliviousness, spazziness and domestic skills. Koume Gyoubai (暁梅 小梅, Gyoubai Koume) - stepfather :A japanese business man, who once traveled often between Japan and California, but settled in LA when he married Rika. He was a widower, with a son. Koume and Rika have a very cliched lovey-dovey relationship. Their over-the-top sappy, dramatic behavior mortifies and exasperates their children. He is kind and very quiet. His hobby is writing poetry. Kyoushi Gyoubai (暁梅 杏士, Gyoubai Kyoushi) - stepbrother :14 years old. Koume's son from his previous marriage. Like his father, he is calm and sensitive. He has the tendency to smile alot, in a very kind and charming manner. Girls think his smile is mysterious, and flock to him. Touji claims that though his smile may look kind, a glance at his twinkling eyes reveals his true nature - one with a wicked, mischievous sense of humor. But he acts as a perfect gentleman, so everyone believes this claim is unfounded... Sawa & Suitto Gyoubai (暁梅 サワー & スウィート, Gyoubai Sawa & Suitto) - twin half-sisters :7 years old. Koume and Rika's children, born in LA. Sawa is quiet, and much too sarcastic for a child of 7. Suitto is the very definition of cuteness and innocence. At school, their names are anglicized to Sara and Sue. Their mother has gotten them into child modeling as of late. They are also friends of Shroom and often visit her house. Original Teammates Teadora Greene aka Tii (to Neku's circle) :::formerly Mew Green Tea (Myuu Guriin Tii) :Tii was the leader and founder of Neku's original Mew team. She started the project as revenge against her cousin, Ryou, whom she hates. Tii is ambitious, selfish, and very persuasive. Like a child, she seeks attention and praise. She has the ability to make things happen through the force of her personality and will. Unfortunatly, Tii is never satisfied with her accomplishments, she always feels second-best. This is drivng emotion in her rivalry with Ryou. :She and Neku have an antagonistic relationship, where Tii insults Neku, and Neku nags about everything Tii does wrong (They are an old married couple). Undernearth that, they are probably best friends. Maybe. They will never admit it. :Tii lost her Mew powers when her pendant broke. These days she is studying business, in order to make her family's corporation eco-friendly. After that, she intends to take over the global market and start a green economic revolution. Queisu Valdion Crepusculovalle aka Mew Queisu (Myuu Kiesuu?) :Val was the genius behind Tii's project. She studied the Mew Aqua, found a way to create Mew-Mews, and even tried to create Mew Aqua itself. She's a brilliant intellectual, but her social skills are quite poor. She's a bit weird, in the reclusive way she lives, and that she can become very obsessive about her research. She also has strange interests, she studies biology and physics with the same seriousness as paranormal reseach. :Neku thinks she's weird and almost scary at times, but she is always reliable when it comes to problem solving. Val thinks Neku makes good coffee. :Unfortunetly Val's Red Data DNA (Lord Howe's Long Eared Bat) is so endangered that it overwhelmed her body and she went berserk. She no longer transforms because of this danger. Currently she is the wilds of Lord Howe's Island, trying to start an emergency breeding program for the bats. Shroom aka Mew Mushroom (Myuu Masshuruumu) :Shroom-chan TBC Friends & Cafe Co-Workers Amber Sophia Jacques ( ??? ), Age 17 :Amber is a co-worker and one of the main bakers at the cafe. They haven't really talked much but Neku has noticed her skill with baking. She might be little envious, Neku's not as widely experienced as Amber is. Amrood Kylie Corbett ( コオベット 　アムルウド 　カイリ Koobetto Amuruudo Kairi ), Age 16 :Kylie is Choke's girl friend. A very shy girl, but very kind and polite. She and Neku share the hobby of baking. Azur Framboise ( フラアンボイス 　アズウル Furaanboisu Azuuru ), Age 17 :Neku only knows of Azur through random rumors, and it's not really that much. She is aware Azur has defected, and has some kind of connection to Kin, but she really doesn't have enough information to form an opinion of her. Candy ( キャンディ Kyandei ), Age 14 :Candy - alien defector and close friend of Tomato. Neku's aware she is a bit violent, but doesn't have the same mistrust many others have for Candy. She probably refuses to think ill of someone Tomato obviously trusts and cares about. Chokeberry Kongake ( 紺崖 チョコベリー Kongake Chokoberii ), Age 17 :Choke is a very sensible and dependable co-worker. He gets a little scary around spiders though... Choke is currently dating Guava. Coco Cruzéz-Seto ( クルセズ セト　ココ Kurusezu-seto Koko ,or just 瀬人 ココ Seto Koko ), Age 17 :Coco - a very fun and friendly person. Neku considers her a friend. Dewberry Mizushima ( ??? ドゥーベリー Mizushima Douuberii ), Age 16 :Dewberry is a very stuck-up regular at the cafe. Neku probably only knows her by sight, not name. Gurepu Papurubokusouchi (パープル牧草地 ぐれぷ Papurubokusouchi Gurepu ), Age 12 : Gurepu - a somewhat new mew. Neku worked with her a while back on the island. Kanami Tsuchino ( 土の　かなみ Tsuchino Kanami ), Age 13 :Kana is Tai's little sister. Neku became more familiar with her during the events of the island. Kana's seems like very nice sweet girl. Neku still has no idea of Kana'a alterego, Mew Boysenberry.although my stupidity isn't helping any Kinsenka Makoto ( 実 　 金鮮菓 Makoto Kinsenka ), Age 16 :Kin - a friend. Some-what mischievous and a known antagonizer of Ryou. She is often at the heart of goings-on in the cafe. Corey ( ??? ), Age 14 :A fellow mew Neku knowns of only in passing. Poppy has a crush on him, though I'm not entirely sure Neku's aware of it. Kotte ( ??? ), Age 14 :Kotte is one of the long-standing members of the team. Neku fought alongside her in the train-hijacking fight, but they haven't interacted other than that. For the most part, Neku is just aware of her as one of the senor sempai... Mirtillo "Leia" Jamila Marino ( マレノ　レイヤ　マアティロ　ヤメエル Mareno "Reiya" Maatiro Yameeru ), Age 17 :Leia was the first mew that Neku met in Japan. Mirtillo has a um, bold personality and has the tendency to come into conflict with lot of people. However, Neku gets along well with her and considers 'Tillo a really good friend. Mirtillo is currently dating Monet. Monet Leferre ( ??? モネット ??? Monetto ), Age 19 :Monet is Mirtillo's boyfriend. Neku just knows that he's older and he's french. In the ruins, Neku fell on top of him in a hole, but that's about all the interaction they've had together. Paprika "Rika" Kukoumi ( ??? "りか"  パプリカ Kukoumi "Rika" Papurika ), Age 15 :Neku met Rika during the Valentine's recruitment event, and managed to convince the poor girl that she was getting drafted into a cult. Way to make a first impression, Neku. Pepper Furikake ( 振りかけ ペッパー Furikake Peppaa ), Age 15 :Another victim of the Valentine's event. She took the event better than most though. Pepper seems to be very sensible and mature for her age. Poppukon Shiomami ( 塩茉美　ポップコーン Shiomami Poppukon ), Age 15 :Poppy is probably the friend Neku relates to best out of the mews in japan. Poppy is super cool and tough. And they will most definitely kick the alien's ass and get her back! Ramune Shimane ( ??? ラムネ Shimane Ramune ), Age 16 :Ramune gave Neku free pocky, and that's really all it takes to get on her good side. Neku had to run away from her though, because Ramune saw her pig nose. Rica Natalia Azucar ( ??? ), Age 16? :Natalie - a sweet, kind girl. I know tam dropped her, but Neku counts her as a good friend, so Imma pretend, she just moved away or something.... Ryou Shirogane ( 白金 稜 Shirogane Ryou ), Age 16-17? :The oh-so-lovely owner and boss of Cafe Mew Mew. He and Neku are on good terms (but not too good!). Well mostly. Neku tends to give him a piece of her mind more than she does with other people. Sigh - It's hard being the boss. Schokolade ( ??? ), Age 15 :Neku is aware Schoko is a mew and often waitresses at the cafe, but they haven't really interacted at all. Neku probably believes Schoko is a girl. Shio Furikake ( 振りかけ ??? Furikake Shio ), Age 18 :Neku is vaguely aware of Shio's prescence. She thinks of him more as "that friend of Ryou's that hangs around the cafe", than as a mew or co-worker. Skittles Oita ( 大分 スキットゥルズ Oita Sukitturuzu ), Age 19 :Skittles is a very cheerful and upbeat coworker of Neku's. Sodo Corbett ( コオベット　ソド Koobetto Sodo ), Age 8 :Sodo is Guava's cousin. Neku tried to protect her during the train incident, but failed. She still feels extremely guilty.(Neku seems to be avoiding her?) Tai Tsuchino ( 土の　たい Tsuchino Tai ), Age 17 :Tai is Kana's brother and a fellow coworker. He seems responsible and level headed. Except when he argues with Mirtillo.Neku stole his favorite pants Tomato Akaikudamono ( 赤い果物　トマト Akaikudamono Tomato ), Age 15 :Tomato is a dear friend of Neku. Strong and a self-proclaimed pacifist, she inspires Neku to become a better mew. : Enemies Neku isn't really the type to make enemies, as she is rather good-natured. However though she may not feel antagonistically towards them, she recognizes the fact that the aliens are the mew's opponents and technically must be labelled as enemies. She also has the tendency of losing her temper when under stress. And then there are just some people that piss her off. : Eclair ( エクレエア Ekureea ), Age 17 and Cannoli ( カノーリ Kanoori ), Age 14 :from the tokyo subway episode, fought very briefly Crossaint ( クロワッサン Kurowassan ) : PoW, captured by the Mews. Neku has probably been just a bit too friendly with him, as she has been one the people who looks after his well-being by feeding him. She feels he is the key to bring home Poppukon, and so his safety and well-being is a high priority. That , and she just likes taking care of people.... Puretsu Kawaki (??? プレツュ Kawaki Puretsu) :Met during the hectic Valentine's Day event, when Neku was stressed, and Puretsu was hitting on every girl in sight. Even now she probably doesn't know his name, but could identify him as "Vandalizer!". Not really an enemy, but a notable exception as Neku carries somewhat of a grudge against him. Misc *Neku speaks both Japanese and English because everyone is bilingual in her house. However, since she moved from Japan when she was 5, she learned very little reading and writing. She's okay with kana, but she's so terrible with kanji that it's causing her to fail alot of her classes. *She is a terrible liar. *She loves cats. She has a 10 year old overweight ginger tabby named Sancho Panza for a pet. He is currently living at her father's house. *Neku loves good food. She used to be slightly picky, but since becoming part pig, she'll eat almost anything. (Except pork - thoughts of cannabalism make her sick.) She is a very competant cook, but she especially likes baking sweets. *Recently, she has been collecting and wearing a lot of thigh-high socks and stockings, usually with odd, garish patterns or prints. This is to hide her mew mark on her knee, if she isn't wearing clothes that cover it, she usually places a bandaid over it to hide it. Category:Characters Category:Mews